Bucket-door-opening mechanism



F. E. ARNDT.

BUCKET DOOR OPENING MECHANISM. APPLICATIONFILED MAR. 2e. 1921.

1,41 5 291 Pafiented May 9, 1922.

F. E. ARND.

BUCKET DOOR OPEN!NG MECHANISM.

nrgucmou nuan MAR. 2e. 1921.

Patented May 9,1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 FRANKLIN E. ARI\TDT, QF GALION, OIIIO, ASSIGNOR T T-IE GALION IRO1\T DVORKS &

MEG. CO., OF GAL-ION, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

BTJ'CKET-DOOR-OPENIITG MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 11922.

' Appleaton filed March 26, 1921. Seria1 N0. 455,903.

Be;it known that I, FRANKLIN E. RNDT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Galion, in the county of Crawford and State of Ohi0, have invented eertain new and useful Improvements in BucletDoor-Opening Mechanisms, of whieh the following is a specification.

This invention. relates t0 means for transporting materials, such as coal, ballast and the like, and partieularly to that form of transporting apparatus in which a carrier is used and a bucket mounted upon the carrier for travelling movement therewith and adapted to be raised or lowered toward er from the carrier.

Such buekets as these are provided with rneans whereby the doors whieh form the bottom of the bucket may be eaused to open when the bucket has lowered into proximity to the point where the material is to be dumped and whereby the doors are closed when the bucket is raised int0 proximity to the carrier.

The general object of my invention is to provide means r automatically opening the doors of the bucket when the bucket moves into proxirnity with the dump, and particularly to provide means which, on contact with the material en the dump or with the ground, Will cause the automatic release of said doors, permitting the doors to open te diseharge the contents of the bucket.

Other obje cts have to de with the details of eonstructionand arrangement of parts as Will appear more 'ully hereinafter.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereinz Figure 1 is a side elevation of a hoisting bucket, carrier and supporting rail con-. structed in aeeordance with my invention;

Figure 2is an end elevation of the structure shown in Figure 1, the supporting rail being in section;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view through the lower portion of the bueket, the section being taken parallel to the end Walls of the basket and showing the door closed;

F igure 4 is a fragmentary sectiorial view 011 the same plane as Figure 3, showing the door open;

Figure 5 is an elevation of the door releasing meehanism showing the door in section;

Referring to these drawings, 10 designates a rail forming part of a supporting structure, such as is illustrated and deseribed in my Patent #1 106327, dated February 14, 1922, and c0-pending herewith. This rail or supporting beam is in the form of an I-beam. Operating upon this rail and supported thereby is a carrier, designated generally 11, this carrier being formeel essen tially. of two plates 12 clisposed 011 each side of the I-beam 10 and embraeing this I-beam, the upper corners of these plates earrying the supporting wheels 13 which bear upon the base fianges of the -bean1. Having hearing engagement in the lower corners of the plates 12 are the transverse shafts 14 supperting the grooved wheels 15. Passing over these grooved wheels is a cable 16 which between the wheels forms a bight.

The bucket, which is designated generally 17, has the usual form, the bottom of the bucket body being open, this open bottom being normally elosed by two downwardly inelined doors 18 hinged at 19 to the side walls of the bucket body. Disposed abov the bucket body and extending parallel to the side Walls thereof and above the iniddle of the bucket body are a pair of parallel channel ir0ns 20, These channel irons are connected t0 each other in any suitable manner, and riveted, bolted or otherwise attached to the ends of the channel irons are the downwardly extending hangers 21. These hangers at their lower ends are formed with bearings f0r trunnion pins 22 whieh are attached in any suitable manner to the ends of the bueket and project outward and pass through the irons in the lower ends of the hangers. Thus the bucket is pivotally supported. A collar 23 is also supported upon the end of each trunnion pin held in place by a cotter pin 2 1.

Attaehed to the beams 20 are upwardly extending supporting irens 25 Whieh extend upward and then inward ab0ve the bearns 20, then straight upward and are attached to eaeh 0ther by transverse b0lts 26 and held spaced from each other by spacer sleeves 27. The upper ends of these irons 25 are engaged with each other by a U-shaped member 28. Mounted between the irons 25 and upon the hearing supported by the means 20 is a grooved wheel 29 beneath whichand around whieh the bight of the cable 16 passes. One end of this cable 16 is attaehed at any desred point to the beam 10 or any other relatively fixed object, and the other end ol the cable 16 is eonnected to a winding drum of any suitable er usual censtruetion (net shown). 1t will be obvious now that when the cable 16 is nnwound frorn the drum, that the bueket will deseend, and that when the eable is wonnd upon the drum, the cable will aseend.

As betere stated, means is provided for elosing the doors 18 when the bneket is .raised from its diseharged p0int and reaches a predetermined distanee from the carrier.

A partienlar 1neans ior automatically clos ing the doors forrns the subject matter of my above 1nentioned Patent #1,406,327, but

any suitable means may be used for causing the closing of the doors when the bucket has been raised te a predetermined point with relation to the carrier, ths present applieation having to de entirely with the means whereby the doors are automatieally opened when the bueket has been lowered int0 close proxirnty to the dump apen which the contents ofthe bueket are te be diseharged.

I have illustrated in this applieation, as a 1neans f0r eausing the closing of the doors, the meehanism in my pending applieation above referred to, which 1nechansm is as OllOWS2MOHIIX-Bd upon the carrier 10 are two downwardly extending U-shaped members 30, these me1nbers being rigidly mounted upon the carrier and extending downward any desired distanee. Mounted upon the bean1s 20 in hearing brackets disposed above these bean1s are transverse shafts 31. These shafts each earry upon its opposite ends the grooved wheels 32 and adapted te be weund upon these grooved wheels are the cables 33 which extend direetly downward and pass over the rollers 01 sheaves 84. These are two eables at each end of the bueket and two sheaves 84 at each end ofthe bueket. The eables at each end of the bueket pass downward beneath the corresponding sheaves 34 and then extend downwardly and laterally and engage the eyes of downwardly and laterally extending rods 36. These rods pass throngh eeiled contractile springs 37. Each of these springs 37 bears at 0ne end against a nut or head en the red 36 and the other end bears against an angular ir0n 38 which is operatively eonneeted to the eorresponding door, the red 36 passing out through the an-- g11lar end of the iron.

It will be obvieus new that a draft upon the eables 33 will cause the cempression of the springs 37 and these, aeting through the- U-shaped irons 38, will draw the doors to a closed position. Each shaft 31 carriesupon it a pinion 89 and this pinion is engaged by a vertieally extendiing raak bar 40. There are two of these raak bars disposed at opp0site ends of the beam 20, each 0f these rak bars being slidingly naounted in a braeket 41, this braeket 41 constituting means for supporting the correspending shaft 22 and the braeket holding the rack teeth of the rack bars 40 in engagement with the eorresponding pinion 89.

It will be obvious now, assuming that the doors a1e open that upon the up ward 1nove ment of the bueket the raak bars 40, which were foreed upward by the opening m0"ve 1nent of the doors will eventually strike against the ends of the depending n1e1nbers 20, and as the bueket continues to move upward, the rack bars 40 will be forced down werd, thus rotating the windingshafts 32 in a direetion te cause the greoved winding wheels or drums 82 te raise the doors te their closed pesition, where these doors are held by suitable latehing devices whieh form the partirzular subject matter of -this particularly appliration and whieh will be n0w deseribed, it being,- understood that while I have illnstrated a door closing means which f0r1ns the subject matter of a pending applieation '0r patent filed of even date herewith, yet I de net wish to be limited te this speeifie door closing 1neans, and the relation with the door latehing and releasing means will n0w be deserbed.

Eaeh door has pivoted to it a pair of link sections 42, whieh in turn are pivoted by a transverse pivot pin 43 to a pair of link sections These link sections 44 at ther extremities are pivotally connected .to a supporting bar 45 which extends upward through a slot in the corresponding door and into the bucket, and isattaehed at its upper end to the bueket, as at 46. There are two of these supporting bars 45 andthese bars interseet each other and are fastened at their interseetion by a transverse pin 47. Dispesed belew the bueket are the transversely extending angle irons 48 held in spaced relati0n to each ether by the spaeing slee"es 49, and extending through the ende of these angle irons and throughthespacing sleeves are the bolts 50. Pivoted en each of these bolts are the actnating members 51, each pair of members being pivoted upon the bolt 43 and extending beyond this pivotal point and being conneeted by a transverse bolt 52. lVhen the doors are closed, the weight of the transverse bars 48 transmitted through the members 51 acts te shift the links 42 and 44 into a position (see Fig. 3) slightly out of alignment with each other, and the further movement of the links being prevented by the stop bolt 52. When, however, 'he bars 48 strike the ground orstrike the c0al heap,. the bars 48 1nore upward, the members 51 Will mcwe upward, and the links 42 and 44 will break at their point ofpvotal conneetion 43 and fold te thus permitthe d00rs te swing 0pen. The deors 1nay then be closed by the 1neans heretefere stated.

'It wll be selen that the door holding and releasing 1neans which I have descriloed and illustrated is very simple and that it is antomatie in its aotion so that the coal or other material is disoharged upon the dump from a point "ery closely adjacent the dump so that the coal 01 ether material Will not be dropped from a long distance and broken or scattered. S0 long as the weight of the transverse bars 48 is upon the coupled links 42 and 44, thelinks cannot break upward at their joints and the downward pressure of the coal on the doors Will not open the doors. As soon, howe'ven, as the joint loetween the links has passed a plane interseot ing the point of pivotal engagement of the links with the flanges on the door, the joint and the point of pivotal engagement of the links 41 with the supporting bal 45, the iveight of the material on the cloors, as well as the slight upward movernent of the bars 418, will cause the links to break and shift to the position shown in full lines in Figure 'l, thus permitting the doors to swing vertically downward. The links being upon the outside of the door are oarried outward so that the ooal or other material Will not be discharged upon the links so that there Will be no danger of blooking the links anol i1npeding their return 1110V6111811, When the doors are closed. It will be obvious that the bars 48 will form a little irngediment to the disoharge of ooal from the bucket.

he 1nechanis1n is simple and has been found thoroughly operatix e in actual practioe.

I claim 1. In a material transporting mechansim of the charaoter described, a bucket having a doorcontrolling the disoharge of material therefrom, means ior raising or lowering the buoket, means or automatically olosing the door upon the upward movement of the hucket to a predetermined height, means for latohing said door in a closed position, anol means acting to unlatch the door to permit the door to swing open when the buoket has desoended to a predeterminecl position.

2. In a material transporting meohanisrn of the charaoter descrihed, a bucket having a door oontrolling the disoharge of material therefrorn, means for raising or lowering the buoket means automatioally closing the door upon the upward movemont of the buoket to a predetermined height, and n1eans ior latching said door in a olosed position, said Ineens depending below the bucket When the door is closed and aoting to unlatch the door to permit the door to swing open when the buoket has desoended to a predetermined point and the means strikes an impediment.

3. In a transporting meohanism of the character desoriloed. a vertically movable buoket having a swinging door controlling its discharge, amember mount-ed upon the buoket and vertioally movable with relation thereto and operatively conneoted to the door te cause the closing of the door when the vertically movable member is depressed by striking an impedirnent, said member being 1novable upward by en opening of the door, and latohing means depending loelow the buoket and normallyholding the door ol0sed lout releasing the door to permit the door to swing open upon the contact of smid latohing 1neans with an obstruotion.

In a material transporting mechanisrn, a ertically movable huoket having swinging doors at its bottom means for closing the cloors upon an upward movement of the bucket to a predetermined point means or holding said doors olosed lont releasing the doors upon a downward 1novement of the buoket to a predetermined point comprising door holding members shiftable into holding position when the doors are olosed, a releasing mernher disposed helow the doors end comrnon to both of the door holding mernbers and vertically movalole with relation. to the buoket upon contact with an impediment, and operative conneotions between said member and said holding members to release the holding members upon a relative movement of the releasing memher and the buoket.

5. In a material transporting mechanism a vertioally movalole louoket having svvinging doors at its bottom, means for olosing the doors upon an upward movement of the bucket to a predetermined point, and means ior holding said doors olosed lout releasing the doors upon a downward movement of the bucket to a predetermned point comprising a pair of door holding links for eaoh door, the links of each pair loeing pivoted to eaoh other, one of said links of eaoh pair being pivoted to the door, a support to which the outer end of the other link is pivoted, a loar disposed below the loucket and movable in a vertical plane with relation thereto, conneoting memloers operatively connecting said bar to the jointed extremities of said first named links, and a stop 1nounted upon each conneoting member and hearing upon one of said links and limiting the movement 0l" said links in one direction with relation to each other.

6. In a inaterial transporting meohanisrn, a vertioally movable bucket having swinging doors at its hottom, means for closing the doors upon an upward movement of the hucket to a predetermined point, and means for holding said doors olosed but releasing the doors upon a downward move rnent of the loucket to a predeterminecl point comprising a pair of door holding links for each door the links of each pair loeing pivoted to each other one of said links of eaol1 pair being pivoted to the door, a supporting member fo1 eaoh link attaohed to the louoket zmcl extending downwurcl ancl t which the 0uter end of the outer1nost link is pivotecl, a transverse bar disposecl below the cloors, n1embers piv0ted to the sncls of the transverse bar ancl normally extencling upwarcl ancl inward ancl pivotecl each to the corresponcling pairs of links at the pivotal joint betwnen the; same, saicl members extencling beyoncl saicl pivotal joint ancl being provicled with stops engaging the innermost link of the pair ancl limiting the movement of saicl links in one clirection.

7. A transporting mechanism of the character clescribecl inclncling & vertically mov able bucket having a pair 0 hinged cloors at its lower end, clownwarclly and out warclly curvecl supporting bars attached on the interior of the bncket crossing each other ancl extending to the exterior of the cl0ors, the doors being slottecl for the passage of said bars, two pairs of links or each door pivoted t0 each other, one pair of links being pivotecl to the door, the other pair of linksbeing pivoted at its outer end to the supportilig bar, means urging saicl links in one clirection slightly beyoncl an alignscl position ancl adapted when the bucket is lowered to a predeterminecl position t0 shift said links into alignment ancl beyond the position of alignment whereby saicl links Will break at the joint between the links and perrnit the door t0 swing outwarcl, and means limiting the movement of the links in the reverse directi0n to a point slightly beyond the position of alignment.

8. In a material transporting mechanism, a vertically movable bncket having a swinging door at its b0ttoln, means or raising 01 lowering the bucket, means f0r latching the door in a closed position, ancl means f0r releasing saicl latching means comprising amember dsposed beneath the door ancl eX- tending at right angles to the vertical axis of the bucket ancl intersecting the vertical axis of the bucket, saicl member h2wing operative connections to the latching means.

In testi1nony whereof I aflix my signature.

FRANKLIN E. ARNDT. 

